Wonka Syndrome
by XxBloodsbanexX
Summary: At first pleased with her help, Mordecai and Rigby are suspicious of a relationship forming between a new employee and their boss, Benson. Because seriously, who'd ever be interested in a walking gum-ball machine with anger management issues?
1. Chapter 1

**Hello there. This is my first Regular Show fanfiction, and the idea was actually the casualty of a plot-bunny attack. I like it so far, though.**

**Don't expect frequent updates, though I'm going to try to get to writing this quickly. I've already got four chapters pre-written, including this one, and I've got a bit of free time since it's the summer so I might finish soon-ish-ly. :D**

**This story is supposed to be short. I mean like, SHORT. If I get passed 10 chapters I will have failed in my mission for a SHORT SHORT story (then again, I'm making the chapters pretty short as well...)**

**I hope you like it and please comment when you're done! I'd love to hear what you think. ;D**

**Read and Enjoy! **

* * *

**Wonka Syndrome**

**Chapter 1 - A New Girl**

Mordecai and Rigby woke up about ten, started work around eleven, and gave up by twelve-thirty.

"Man, I don't wanna do all of this yard work!" Rigby said, throwing down his rake. "Of course Benson would put us on yard duty as soon as autumn starts."

"I know dude," Mordecai sighed, leaning on his own rake. They were both wearing jackets and boots, as the cold had started setting in. "But you have to admit, he does have a point."

"What point?" Rigby asked, kicking a pile of leaves and hopping onto one of their many garbage bags, sitting in it like a bean bag. There was a hole, and a few leaves fluttered out, sending a swirl of red and gold up into the air. "Have you _seen _all of these leaves? It'll take _years _to rake them all up!"

"C'mon dude," Mordecai said, starting to rake again. He was tired too, but knew the two of them had gotten into a lot of trouble as of late, and the blue jay didn't want any sort of extra work load over the winter months. "You know that the only reason we got yard work dumbed on us is because it's almost winter. Skips and High-Five Ghost are the only ones who work when it's winter."

The brown raccoon let out an exasperated sigh, throwing himself back and staring at the cloudy sky. "I know, I _know."_

Twenty seconds later, Mordecai groaned, throwing down his rake and turning to look at Rigby, who still hadn't moved. "Well?"

Rigby looked lazily over. "Well what?"

"Aren't you gonna help me?"

Rigby pursed his lips as if in thought. "Mmmmm... Nah. I'm cool."

Mordecai groaned again, throwing his wings into the air and shaking his head. "Dude, what the H?"

"Dude, I'm _not _going to rake all of these leaves. So what if Benson yells at us again? It's not like it doesn't happen every day."

"Whatever dude! You know as well as I do that if we get another tantrum out of Benson he'll lock us outside and make us shovel the snow out of all the sidewalks."

"But-"

"No buts!"

"Yes buts!"

Mordecai grabbed Rigby's rake and threw it in the raccoon's direction. It hit him in the head, and Rigby fell backwards off of his garbage bag, swearing under his breath. As Mordecai nodded, 'hm hm'-ing in satisfaction, Rigby shouted and grabbed the rake's handle, charging.

It wasn't long before they were in an all-out rake-sword fight.

Mordecai was winning by the time they started throwing the bags of leaves at each other (well, Mordecai threw them and Rigby attempted so). Soon there were explosions of yellow and orange, and where tiny remnants of summer dotted the park yard here and there, the warmth of Mordecai and Rigby's play-fighting caught the attention of a certain talking gumball machine.

Collapsing on two of the only remaining bags, both bird and raccoon laughed, holding their sides and casting their rakes onto the ground. As they tried to catch their breathes, Benson started for them, unnoticed. The sound of an approaching bus muffled his crunching path, and the heat from his red face continued to go unseen until both employees could hear the rattling of the gumballs in his head.

"Modecai! Rigby!"

The blue jay and raccoon sprang up onto their feet, staring in anxiety and fear as Benson clenched his fists. Already his entire body was glowing a dangerous red color, and the scarf around his neck seemed to be burning against the heat of his anger. "I** thought **I told the two of you to _rake _the leaves, NOT THROW THEM EVERY SQUARE INCH OF THE PARK!"

The two animals muttered, but weren't allowed a second to defend themselves as Benson continued.

"I _cannot believe _how the two of you are still _working _for me! You are the **worst **two slackers that I've _ever had _working in this park! IT'S A MIRACLE THE TWO OF YOU HAVEN'T KILLED YOURSELVES YET!"

By now the layer of frost that had re-settled on the leaves had begun melting at Benson's feet; Mordecai and Rigby could feel their cheeks warm against the waves of heat radiating off of the gumball machine before them. "You two... _You two... _I just... YOU TWO ARE-"

Mordecai and Rigby flinched, waiting for the inevitable. Only it never came.

Opening their eyes, they saw that Benson had stopped mid-shout, though his body still trembled. They also saw that his body was still just as red, but it seemed for a different reason. He was staring at something over their shoulders at something. Curious, the males turned to look as wall.

It was a surprise in itself that a bus had stopped in the middle of the park - buses never went out this far, unless someone requested they visit this almost always barren stop. Another surprise was that it wasn't a mishap and someone actually climbed out of the bus, pulling a long white scarf closer to their face.

The biggest surprise, though, was when she looked down at a piece of paper, looked up, smiled, and caught Benson's eye. She waved shyly, starting her way over.

Benson's color slowly returned to its regular tone (for the most part - his cheek were pink) and he cleared his throat, tilting his head quizzically as the female approached. Both Mordecai and Rigby had taken the chance to straighten up and stand on either side of their employer, hoping that good behavior in front of a visitor would reward them their jobs. As she approached, all three men got to get a better look at her, and all three were surprised at how pretty she was.

She had milk chocolate skin, dark chocolate hair, and white chocolate eyes, which were both unnatural and alluring at the same time. She was wearing wintermint colors; she had on long, white socks and winter boots, a mint green coat, skinny-jeans, a white scarf and green gloves which reached her elbows. She wore a small necklace, with the heart-shaped end resting against her chest. It was glass, with swirls of brown and white blooming from the center and outward. She had mint leaves attached to a clip which held back the tresses of dark brown hair, and her small, sleek cherry red lips upturned as she came within ear shot of the three males.

"Um, excuse me?"

She brought with her the smell of brownies and hot chocolate, which was enough to render Mordecai and Rigby speechless. Benson, however, was a professional first and was able to conquer his urge to inhale her scent - instead he smiled pleasantly, accepting her sheepish hand and shaking it. "Hello; I'm Benson, the park manager. Do you need help?"

"Oh." The girl smiled again, her cheeks blushing as her gaze dashed here and there. She continued to hold Benson's hand, which unsettled the gumball machine a bit, but he knew that pulling back before she was ready might be impolite. He waited for her to settle down and answer. Behind him, Mordecai and Rigby watched in curiosity.

"I-I'm sorry," she said. "I'm not used to places like this; I'm not from around here. I just moved down here and I'm looking for a job - do you have any openings here at your park?"

Benson blinked in surprised. The girl took her hand back, blushing, and Benson thought about her request. "Jeeze, well... I don't know. It's almost winter, and we don't usually hire in the winter months."

"Oh, please?" the girl pleaded. "I'm sorry to be a bother, but I really do need a job. I can do anything you need me to do!"

"I'm sure you would, it's just that we already have all of the workers we need." Benson sighed, shrugging. "Besides, you don't have a resume and I can't pull anything up right now; I'm sorry, but now just isn't a great time."

The girl sighted; her eyes were glittering, looking as if she was about to cry. She looked around frantically, and then said, "What about if I rake all of these leaves for you? Would you reconsider?"

Benson was taken aback, and so were Mordecai and Rigby. She would rake all of these leaves for free? Just to get a job? Benson was already shaking his head, waving his hands. "No, no, no, I couldn't let you do that! I wouldn't be able to pay you for it!"

"Think of it as my initiation," the girl said, already bending over and picking up the nearest rake. "I just need a few more garbage bags and I can finish it all before the days out." She gave all three of them another pleading look. "Please, just give me a chance? You can't believe how much I need this job, and you're my last chance. I can't afford to try another city."

Benson was caught between his duty and a pretty face; Mordecai and Rigby were sure he'd deny her again, but he surprised them by saying, "I... I'll talk to my boss about it. I can't pay you for raking the leaves unless I hire you afterwards..."

"Oh, thank you, thank you!" The girl stood on her toes and gave Benson a peck on the cheek, then smiled up at him, not noticing the ferocious blush that overtook his glass face. "You won't be sorry. I'll work just as hard as any of your other employees! Thank you so much for giving me a chance!"

Still speechless, Benson opened his mouth to say something, but already the girl was running off, grabbing the nearest half-empty garbage bag and raking leaves into it.

* * *

**Reviews, anyone? Plz? I'd love you forever. :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"My name is Dove."

"You don't have a last name?"

Dove took a sip of her hot chocolate, shaking her head. "No. My brother and I were adopted - I mean, we're not even related by blood, and neither of us really knew our birth parents."

Rigby, licking his lips, set down his own mug. "What about your adopted parents?"

Dove twirled a finger in her hair, smiling sadly. "They died in a car crash a few years after we got out of college. It's been... maybe six years? I can hardly remember. We loved them... but we couldn't bring ourselves to take their last names. It didn't feel right."

"Where's your brother now?" Mordecai asked. He took a sip of his coffee, glancing around at the kitchen. They'd allowed Dove to stay the night, stationing her in the spare bathroom and lending her a change of clothes from the attic. She said she was staying at a friend's house, but wasn't planning on staying for very long.

"He's at home," Dove said. "He and I live together. He's sick right now, which is why I'm traveling - I can't get a job in our home town, and I need to make some money so I can help him." The chocolate girl sighed in relief. "I'm just so happy Mr. Benson gave me a chance. I need this job so badly."

"Mr. Benson, huh?"

Dove, Mordecai and Rigby all turned to see Skips standing at the entrance to the kitchen. He was wearing a thin jacket around his body, but probably didn't need it, since he was like... a yeti and everything. The hulking white creature skipped past them and got himself a cup of hot coffee. "I haven't heard anyone call him that in a long time. You must be new."

Mordecai noticed that Dove had directed her gaze downward and was blushing. She fingered the necklace that sat on her chest and stuttered out an answer. "Y-y-yes. I'm applying for a j-job."

Skips gave her a look over his shoulder but didn't say anything. Skipping out of the room, he said, "Good luck with the job," before exiting. Once he was gone, Dove began to relax again.

"Soooooo," Rigby said, pushing away his empty mug. "You like video games?"

"Um, not really," Dove answered. "I was never any good at them. RJ - my brother - plays them much better than I do."

"What about music?" Mordecai asked. Dove thought for a moment. "I like music. Jazz and classical are my favorite. I like rock, too, though. And Pop. Techno is some of my favorite."

Mordecai nodded, finishing his own coffee and pushing the mug over to join Rigby's. After a second of quiet, Dove stood up and took all three of their cups, walking over to the sink.

Rigby leaned over and whispered, "Dude, this chick is great! She has an automatic clean-up setting."

Mordecai frowned, then punched Rigby in the shoulder, ignoring the raccoon's outrage and saying, "Don't be such a jerk, dude. She's really nice. I like her. I think Benson likes her, too."

Rigby looked peeved that he'd been punched, but nodded. "Yeah. Think she'll get the job?"

"She raked all of those leaves," Mordecai said, thinking. "All of them! She _has _to stay."

At that moment, Benson and Pops walked into the room. They were both in their winter ware, though the inside was much warmer than out. Pops was giggling and Benson was looking over a small stack of papers. Spotting Mordecai, Rigby and Dove, he said, "Oh, good morning."

"Hello hello!" Pops called, bending his body sideways and looking around Benson. His eyes found Dove in an instant. "Oooooh! A lovely lady!"

"Hello." Dove smiled and walked over, accepting as Pops gave her a handshake. She also received three lollipops. "What is this for?"

"For the yard work, my dear," Pops said in his twisty, lollipop voice. "You've been hired, and this is your first payment!"

Dove's eyes widened, and she smiled gratefully. "Oh really? Thank you, thank you!"

"Don't thank me," Pops said, blushing and straightening his mustache. "Benson fought to let you get hired. My father runs our park, and he's very picky about how people apply for this job."

Benson scratched his head and huffed. "It wasn't anything, Pops. Your dad isn't half as bad as you think he is. He's just a little... overbearing sometimes."

"Thank you anyway, Benson," Dove said, smiling softly. Pops giggled and Benson rolled his eyes. He gave the female his stack of papers. "Here. You'll need to fill these out. Muscle Man and High Five Ghost can drive with you to pick up your things - you'll be staying in the spare bedroom. Is that alright?"

Dove smiled again, fingering her necklace. "Yes, thank you. It's all perfect."

* * *

Dove started work the next day – Benson set her in Rigby and Mordecai's group because, quote, "If Dove can't get you two do get something done, I seriously don't know what will".

It wasn't long before bird and raccoon discovered that when Dove started a job she finished it, and she finished it quickly. She was extremely efficient and didn't stop a job until it was done (that is, unless she was multitasking, which she seemed very good at). Not only that, but she was a pleasant person to talk to as well. Both Mordecai and Rigby quickly developed a liking to her.

Things weren't perfect, however. Over the next few days, the boys discovered that Dove wasn't as accepting as they'd first thought. She was freaked out by High Five Ghost – she fainted the first time he'd scared her, and absolutely refused to high five him, no matter how many times he asked. She didn't like Muscle Man, but that was understandable. His first impression had been driving with her to pick up her things, and he'd gotten sidetracked by his own your mom (excuse me, _my mom) _joke – he'd been laughing so hard that he drove off road and sent Dove hurling out of the car, landing right in the middle of a retention pond. Needless to say, she wasn't interested in him.

The strangest thing was that she seemed downright terrified of Skips. Sure, the yeti was pretty intimidating, but he hadn't even talked directly to her and she avoided him at all costs. She said she'd had bad experiences with apes, but it didn't seem believable to Mordecai. Rigby didn't get it, but the blue jay thought it was something a little more complicated than a phobia.

Dove seemed perfectly fine with everyone else in the park, however. She enjoyed Pops – "He reminds me a lot of my adoptive father" – and she had taken a strong liking to Benson, who was usually too busy to talk but gave her his full attention whenever he was around. Mordecai and Rigby were in the middle of teaching her all of their favorite games; she wasn't very keen on punchies but was pretty boss at Rock, Paper, Scissors. She didn't enjoy too many videogames but loved horror movies, so Mordecai had someone to watch them with (Rigby was banned from watching them after the British Taxy episode).

Two things that both Mordecai and Rigby caught onto quickly was that one: Dove enjoyed talking about her brother and was apparently very fond of him. Two: she didn't enjoy talking about her current situation. She wouldn't specify her brother's illness, saying that she still wasn't sure exactly was wrong and neither did the doctors. She wouldn't give her friend's name and refused to talk about any of the other towns and cities she'd visited on her job search. She mentioned a few places but not in detail.

Regardless of her past, Dove was settling into the park quite nicely, and neither Mordecai nor Rigby thought things could get any better. Of course, both of them were right. Things were about to get worse, and much, much weirder.

* * *

On a Saturday morning, after the three of them finished their car washing chore, Mordecai offered to treat Dove.

"Rigby and I are going down to our favorite café," he told her, looking for his wallet. They were in the boys' room, and Dove was sitting on their bed. She still wasn't accustomed to the 'musky man smell of manly men' (Rigby's words, not hers), but she was spending more and more time in there so decided it was a good idea to get used to it. "You wanna come?"

"Well, I would, but I can pay for myself," Dove said, tugging at the end of her pony tail. She'd pulled her wavy dark hair into a low pony-tail that sat on her shoulder. Her necklace was hidden beneath a mint green sweater.

"Nah, don't worry about it," Mordecai said, digging through his drawers. Where did he put his wallet? Other pair of pants? But he didn't wear pants... "You don't get your first paycheck tomorrow, and I have cash. Besides, everything's pretty cheap there. It's not any trouble."

"Yeah," said Rigby. He hopped onto his trampoline bed and jumped up and down a few times. "Besides, Mordecai probably won't even get anything. He just wants to go for _Margret."_

"Shut it, dude."

"Mordecai and Margret, sitting in a tree~. K-I-S-S – ouch!"

Mordecai had punched Rigby mid-air, sending the raccoon into a nearby pile of dirty clothes. The bird huffed, then blinked, reaching down and pulling something from between Rigby's teeth. "Oh hey, it's my wallet!"

OoOo

"Hey Mordecai and Rigby."

"Hi Margret."

"Yo."

The cardinal smiled as she came over. "Who's your friend?"

Mordecai said, "What?" before blinking and giving Dove an apologetic look. "Oh! Yeah, yeah. Margret, this is Dove."

"She works at the park with us," Rigby said, giving Dove a light punch on the arm. The chocolate girl blushed, then waved shyly at Margret. "Hello."

"You work at the park with them? That's cool."

"Yeah…" Mordecai paused, looking between both of the girls. They were talking now, probably about girl things, but he wasn't paying much attention. All of his concentration was focused on not staring at Margret's girl pecks.

"So, what can I get you boys – I mean, you three?"

"I'll have the uge' **(1)**," Mordecai said. "Coffee and doughnuts!" Rigby said, slamming the table. Dove hesitated, then asked, "Um, do you have chocolate cake?"

Margret scribble down their orders. "Yes we do. I'll bring your food out in a few."

"Thanks."

"No prob."

OoOo

After the three of them received their food, Dove's walkie-talkie fizzed. She was in the middle of a bite of cake, so gestured to Rigby to get it. The raccoon unlatched it from her waist belt and pressed a button. "Hello?"

"Where are you three?" Benson's irritated voice rode along waves of static and electricity. "You two better not have accidentally dragged Dove into the center of the earth or something."

"Um… not yet?"

Dove whipped her mouth and took the talkie, holding down the button and saying, "Hello Benson? It's Dove."

"Hey, where are you guys? I just got a notice that we're hosting a birthday party in a few hours and I need help with the preparations."

"We better not be setting up the chairs…" Rigby muttered. Mordecai 'shhh'-ed him and leaned over Dove, saying, "We're at the café, Benson. We're on break."

"I'm sorry," said Dove. "I should have told you we were gone. I forgot."

There was a slight pause, then, "Don't worry about it Dove. I just need you guys back before five – you need to set up the chairs."

"Wait, what?" Mordecai took the talkie out of Dove's hand. "You said we wouldn't have to set up the chairs anymore!"

"Yeah!" Rigby climbed onto the table and stole the talkie himself, lying on his stomach as he said, "Don't you remember? Not setting up the chairs next time, not setting up the chairs next time~?"

"I'm your boss," Benson said plainly. "What I say goes."

"But-"

"Besides, the last time you two released the Destroyer of Worlds and obliterated half of the park! Your argument is rendered invalid."

"If it bothers you so much, I'll set up the chairs." Dove gently took the walkie-talkie away from them. "You two can do something else."

"Great idea, Dove," Benson said, his voice still aggravated but slightly calmer. "Just come back as soon as you three can and get to work."

Benson hung up.

* * *

**(1) - The uge': meaning 'the usual'**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry I've been gone for so long, but I've been busy, what with school starting again soon. I've also been wasting time on DeviantART XP.**

**Here's Chapter 3 of Wonka Syndrome because, y'know, why not?**

**Read, review, and enjoy :).**

* * *

**Chapter 3 - Party of Surprises**

Benson had been working at the park for a long time. He'd been friends with Pops since he was a teenager, and it was in fact a personal favor that Benson got the job at all. At the time he'd expected only to work for a few years, then once he finished college he'd be able to find a better job. He'd always been a hard worker, and he'd done so well in college that he thought he'd be able to get any job he wanted.

He ended up wanting this one.

Benson once referred to being park manager as 'a dead-end job' to Mordecai and Rigby, and in a few ways it was. It was always the same thing day after day (the same bratty kid parties, the same rabid squirrels, the same giant snow abominations and rifts in the time space continuum), but the park had become too much of a home after all these years of keeping Pops sane and the boys from destroying everything he'd worked so hard for.

Mordecai and Rigby had been hired about six years ago, when they were both seventeen. Benson had been thirty at the time and wasn't too ecstatic about hiring them at all, but Pops took an instant liking to them and it wasn't as if Benson could say no to his boss' son.

They hadn't changed one bit in the past six years.

Every day Benson wondered why he hadn't fired the blue jay and his raccoon friend. They were more of a liability when they were real, helpful employees. Though, after the whole 'getting fired' thing, he kind of understood their need to slack, so he couldn't just fire them now. It was just their nature.

Skips had been another story completely. He'd just showed up one day and asked straight up for a job. Benson was too confused about his lack of a past to say no, and since he was one of the only consistent workers around he'd never even thought of firing him. Benson had still been in his twenties at the time, so he'd known the yeti for about ten years.

High Five Ghost had always been at the park, but it wasn't until Muscle Man moved into the park (and refused to leave but was fine with the job) that he even spoke to anyone. They became instant friends, though Muscle Man was only around for about two years longer than Mordecai and Rigby. He and Benson didn't see eye-to-eye much, but at least he called in whenever he ditched.

Benson didn't like hiring people. He'd been actively refusing to hire anyone else after Mordecai and Rigby, and he'd been reluctant as well as unbalanced when Dove suddenly showed up and begged for a job at the park. His instinctual response was to flat out say no and stand his ground, but her chocolate-white eyes… those trembling, cherry lips…

"Gah! Dude, you can't just _throw _the streamers like you're having a seizure! You have to aim!"

"I _am_ aiming! Why are the tree trunks so high?"

"Why are you so close to the ground?"

"Shut up!"

"I bet _Don _would be able to hang up these stupid streamers-"

_"Stop talking!"_

Benson could only hang his head. Sooner or later they would end up brawling and making things worse. He should separate them now before-

"Um, you guys, you really shouldn't..."

Benson leaned against the wall, watching with interest as Dove approached the still arguing males.

"But - but Mordecai started it!"

The blue jay rolled his eyes. "If you'd listened to me and had just gotten a stool-"

"I don't need a stool!" Rigby was red with embarrassment, and he leapt at Mordecai, attempting to punch him in the face. Benson got up quickly and started in their direction. "Hey! Rigby, get off of Mordecai!"

"But he-"

"Rigby, do what he says and _get off_"

All three of the males were surprised at the angry tone in Dove's voice. Benson took a second to think about it and realized that in the few days she'd been there (and had been forced to break up every fight and clean up every one of Mordecai and Rigby's messes) that he'd never once seen her lose her temper. The female was trembling slightly, hands on hips, glaring down at her partners with a surprising amount of heat.

Rigby started moving, then hesitated. The raccoon's natural rebellious side refused to let him back off without some kind of childish fight. But Dove simply narrowed her eyes, and in a very even tone said, "Rigby. _Now."_

Rigby got up.

"Now," Dove said, relaxing her voice and posture. "Rigby, how about instead of throwing the streamers, why don't you climb into the trees and hang them up that way? And, while you're at it, why don't you tie the balloons on the branches, too?"

Rigby was speechless. He was standing above Mordecai, who still hadn't pulled himself up from the ground. The blue jay was glancing between his boss and his friend.

Benson only rubbed the back of his neck, smiled lazily, and said to Dove, "I'm guessing you've finished setting up the chairs, then?"

OoOo

Benson wasn't surprised to find Rigby brooding the rest of the day.

The gumball machine himself was just glad the day was over. He personally hated parties (unless there was old-school soda) and even more so he hated children. Kids got on his nerves, and for some reason they all hated him back. Whenever they had to host birthday parties Benson always got stuck picking the little brats up or escorting them from the entrance of the park to the actual party, and he always ended up with a crack in his head or a long-lasting ringing in his ears from all the screaming.

The party itself was lame in his standards, but it went along a lot more smoothly with Dove around. She had a knack for calming the rowdy ones down and keeping the whinny ones happy enough not to bawl their eyes out. Their entertainment was - as always - a clown (this one was hired by the parents, though. Benson had learned his lesson the last time). The children had somehow cornered Skips into giving them each a piggie back ride, and by the end of the party his fur was so sticky that he had spikes on his head and shoulders.

Needless to say, everyone was exhausted and in a crummy mood.

Benson had retired to his personal office and was counting up how much they'd spent and made from the party. They'd made a decent profit from it all, but he wasn't sure if they had enough shampoo for Skips. The yeti didn't usually need the stuff, but he had so much candy in his fur...

A knock. Benson recognized it as Pops' and called for him to enter. The older man opened the door and smiled. "I brought Dove as you requested, Benson."

Benson glanced at a few papers he needed to sign and put them in a drawer, saying, "Thanks Pops. Tell her she can come in."

"Righty o!"

Giggling, the lollipop man exited the doorway and allowed Dove to enter.

Benson was pulling a few bills closer when he looked up. He blushed, then snorted, his lips trembling.

Dove blushed and said, "Go ahead, laugh, I know you want to. Everyone else has."

Benson was trying his best not to.

The girl before him was an absolute mess - candy in her hair, bits of food and stains hanging all about her clothing. She had a red handprint on the side of her face (the kids had been finger-painting) and the clown had hit her with a pie when she wasn't looking. When Dove used her finger to lick some of the whip cream off of her nose, Benson couldn't help but break down laughing.

Dove sat down in a leather chair, removing the pie plate from her head where she'd been wearing it like a crown. Benson's laughter subsided, and he managed to say though chuckles," I-I'm sorry Dove."

"I know," the chocolate girl said. "It's alright. When I looked in the mirror I started laughing too."

"I'm sorry, I should have given you time to change."

"It's alright." Dove said. She tried brushing some chips from her curls and glanced up at the gumball machine before her. "Um, Pops said you wanted to tell me something?"

"What?" Benson blinked, then mentally cursed. "Oh. Yeah, I uh, wanted to give you this."

Benson pulled a small wristband from his left drawer and handed it to Dove. The female took it carefully, then read the golden black print on the side. As she did so, Benson waited, tapping his foot and finding great interest in the corner of the wall.

Dove smiled. In fact, her face started glowing. "You want me to be co-manager?"

Benson still didn't look. "Yeah, well, you'd still be working for _me, _but yeah."

"I thought that Pops was-"

"Oh no, no no no." Benson chuckled, finally forcing himself to look over. Dove was already putting the band on over her jacket sleeve. The red color contrasted nicely with her green clothes. "Pops helps out sometimes, but he's not really an employee, and technically I work for him, so..."

"What about..." Dove blushed deeply for a bit, and Benson thought he saw her shudder. "Um... the yeti. Skips?"

Benson leaned back in his chair, a sigh escaping silently through his nose. "I've asked him already, but he doesn't want the job."

"Really?"

"Yeah. He says he doesn't want any more responsibility than he already has." Benson waved a dismissive hand. "I really can't blame him. He usually saves one of us every week; well, there was that one time when he killed Rigby..."

"He did what?"

"Nothing! He didn't do anything." Benson, chuckled nervously, then leaned against his desk. "So, um, do you want the job?"

"Um..." Dove shifted uneasily in her seat again, toying with her hair and picking out bits of food whenever she touched them. "I mean, why did you pick me? I've only been working here for about a week..."

"Well," Benson said, lacing his fingers together and leaning on the desk, "to be honest, you're the first person - besides Skips - I've ever considered giving the job to. I know you haven't worked here for very long, but you've been doing your work and you've been helping out around the park in a lot more ways than one. I mean, for one thing, you've actually gotten the slackers to stop slacking off, which I've _never _been able to do."

Dove smiled shyly and ran a finger over her necklace, which caught the light of Benson's desk lamp and shimmered a little. "I, um... thank you, Benson. I've never had a job I liked so much, let alone a promotion. I um..."

Benson was surprised when Dove started choking up. He knew it was a privilege to get a promotion in such a short time - he'd been promoted to park manager after only a few weeks of work - but as she tried to hold back her tears she looked a bit... guilty. Benson guessed that was understandable... but he couldn't see a good reason to feel guilty about it. She honestly deserved the raise.

"Sorry, sorry," Dove said, waving her hand. Her voice was light with emotion and she stood up, hand rubbing her left eye. "Um, can I go now? I mean, thank you again, but I need to clean myself up."

"Yeah, of course." Benson hesitated, then hastily climbed out of his chair and led Dove to the door, opening it for her and smiling. "I'm, uh, glad you took the job," he said, blushing when the chocolate girl glanced at him with wet eyes.

Dove smiled at him again, then ducked out of the room.


End file.
